Seven Nights
by Sundiz-Star
Summary: "Night is a world lit by itself." Sometimes what is hidden during the daytime can emerge at night. Following a relationship though seven pivotal nights. Sheelos. Complete.
1. First Night

**Seven Nights**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Symphonia. Not even the game itself. It's my brother's ;)

* * *

**First Night**

* * *

"Just hold still a second, guys," Lloyd murmured as he carefully sharpened his blade. Genis and Raine waited patiently, their wrists rubbed raw by the iron shackles that bound them. Just looking at the blistered, angry skin made Lloyd's blood boil, and disgust to burn fiercely in his normally soft dark eyes. Eventually he set aside the whetting stone and beckoned to Genis, who shuffled forward and knelt down, stretching the chain linking his hands as far as it would go. The young swordsman rested his blade against the metal, aligning it, then swiftly drew it up and cut downwards. The clank of severed chain echoed faintly around the clearing.

Sheena glanced up momentarily from the curry she was preparing over the fire. She watched Genis' face crumple in pain when Lloyd finally managed to break the shackles open with Zelos' dagger, as the young half-elf gingerly rubbed at the inflamed skin.

_Half-elf_.

Even Sheena could admit that when she first found out about Raine and Genis' heritage, a small part of her had recoiled in distaste. A wave of shame had crashed over her immediately afterwards, drowning her in guilt, as she recalled the Professor (albeit grudgingly) saving her life in Luin. Had it not been for her healing skills, the deep wounds she had received would have surely claimed her life. And her younger brother – with his quick wit and surprising maturity – had quickly formed a strong bond of friendship with the summoner.

And yet she had still succumbed momentarily to the mindless discrimination that her own people of Mizuho faced regularly. Sheena felt a deep pang of guilt and self-disgust resonate in her stomach.

"Sheena?" Presea's quiet monotone voice drew her out of her thoughts. The younger girl was holding out a handful of perfectly chopped vegetables to be added to the bubbling pot. Sheena quickly accepted them and dropped them in, but not without noticing that each piece of pepper was exactly the same length and thickness, each onion precisely diced. She felt a chill nudge down her spine as Presea turned her blank, doll-like blue eyes away from her face. Since meeting the smaller girl earlier that day, there had been something uncomfortable niggling at the back of Sheena's mind. Something was definitely off, and it set her on edge.

A final clang informed Sheena that Raine was now also free, and the tightness in her throat eased slightly. The Professor's low voice carried easily across the quiet clearing, even though Sheena kept her attention firmly focused on the food.

"Thank you, Lloyd. You undoubtedly saved our lives."

"It's nothing compared to the number of times you've saved mine," was his simple reply. "Besides, you're my best friends. I couldn't just sit back and let you get taken away and executed!"

"But Lloyd, we're..." Genis trailed off, clearly still uncomfortable discussing his true nature.

"Half-elves, I know," Lloyd said calmly, setting down his sword. "And I told you at the Bridge, I don't care. We have more important things to worry about than the fact that you're not full elves..." Sheena glanced up from her stirring to see Lloyd staring sadly at Colette, who was sat motionless at the edge of the clearing. Her disturbing red eyes were dead and empty. The grief and guilt displayed on his face made her own heart twist and ache.

Raine nodded slowly, and then excused herself to sit alone for a while outside of the comforting sphere of light cast by the campfire. Genis shyly ducked his head, then reached over and pulled Lloyd into a quick, fierce embrace, before pulling away and treading softly over to Sheena.

"Hey," she murmured as he hesitantly sat down beside her.

"Hey," he replied, discreetly wiping at the corner of his eye. Lloyd had resumed sharpening his blade, glancing up every so often to sadly watch the oblivious Colette. "D'you mind if I... help with dinner?" Genis asked warily.

Sheena smiled back warmly and ruffled his hair. "Of course you can! I get my cooking buddy back!"

Genis blushed and grabbed some more peppers to chop. "Where's Zelos?" he asked after a while, the blush finally receeding.

Scowling, she glanced around the clearing, but saw no sign of the red-headed Chosen. "Well he volunteered to go get some meat, since our supplies are running low. But knowing him, he's probably fallen down a rabbit hole or gotten lost or something. He's certainly taking his sweet time."

As always, it seemed, she spoke too soon.

"Honey, I'm hooooome!"

She grimaced as a pale, muscular arm was slung around her shoulders. "Sheena, I never knew you were such a domestic goddess!" Zelos exclaimed, laying two plump rabbits down by the fire pit. He tossed back his hair, and finally noticed Genis glowering at him on Sheena's other side. "Beat it, twerp."

"Hey!" Sheena snapped, shrugging off his arm. "Don't tell him to get lost when you've only just decided to saunter back here so late! Those rabbits must have been _such_ a handful," she sneered. Genis snickered, then cried out when Zelos pulled off his long gloves, 'accidentally' smacking the young boy in the face.

"Whoops, sorry brat." He sent Genis' back a self-satisfied smirk, and turned to see Sheena's pretty face contorted into a fierce glare. "You know, you really shouldn't pull that face, it's highly unattractive. It might get stuck like that," he commented lightly. He pulled the first rabbit towards him and began to quickly skin it. He soon became aware of a faint, persistent grinding noise. "And that really can't be good for the old molars, my domestic goddess."

Sheena stopped gnashing her teeth, but her glare only intensified. Mere mortals would have burst into flames from it by now, but of course she was dealing with a particularly irritating, self-absorbed Chosen, who unfortunately wouldn't go down quite so easily. "Don't call me that," she ground out eventually, snatching up the skinned rabbit from him and a knife. She proceeded to cut up the meat, imagining she was carving up his perfect, smirking face instead.

"Call you what, dearest?"

"Your domestic goddess. And dearest too, for that matter!"

Zelos turned his wide blue eyes on her. "But you need a nickname! I gave all the others nicknames while you were gone."

"I'll pass," she growled, throwing the diced pieces of meat into the bubbling pot. The simmering surface hissed and spat in agitation as each piece sank. She longed to dunk his angelic face in the liquid too.

Zelos chuckled lightly, handing her the second skinned rabbit. "Oh Sheena, I've missed your lovely voice and kind demeanour," he teased, wiping his hands clean.

"Bite me," she muttered savagely.

He quirked a red eyebrow and grinned devilishly. "Gladly."

Sheena threw him her most murderous look, two spots of pink appearing on her cheeks. Her face reddened further when he waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. "You... impossible man... useless, philandering, perverted –!"

"Sheena, my darling Goddess, you don't need to flatter me."

"Never mind flatter, I'll _batter_ you if you don't shut up!" she growled. She threw in the last of the meat and cursed sharply when her fingers grazed the boiling pot with the violent gesture, singeing her fingers. Cradling them, she fought back a hiss of pain and blew on the burnt red skin. A second later a pale, long-fingered hand had reached out and gently taken hold of hers. Sheena scowled, met his brilliant blue eyes and tried to pull away, but his gentle grip was surprisingly strong.

"Hold still," he commanded, examining the extent of the burn. Apparently satisfied, Zelos murmured the spell for First Aid. The burnt skin healed instantly, and Sheena snatched her hand back as if his grip had been the hot object that had harmed her in the first place.

"...Thanks," she mumbled, trying not to notice how large the Chosen's hands were, how long the porcelain fingers were, how the soft skin was marred by calluses from his sword.

Because she shouldn't be noticing things like that, damn it.

"The pleasure was all mine, my Mizuho flower." Zelos actually had the audacity to wink at her. Wink! She felt her cheeks heat up once more, and tried to hide it by shoving the ladle at him. She refused to let him see how much he bothered her.

Stay _cool_, Sheena.

"So I guess we'll be travelling together for a while, huh?" Zelos asked, cheerfully shattering the tense silence that had sprung up between them.

"Unfortunately," she replied shortly. He felt a smirk lifting the corners of his thin lips.

"Sitting on the fence, as usual I see. To be expected I guess, you being from Mizuho and all."

"You're no different," she snapped, digging through one of the packs for some seasoning. "You've been sent to keep tabs on them too."

"Touché," acknowledged Zelos, happily stirring away at the curry, forming a vortex at the centre of the pot. "Although our situations are pretty different – the Church has already decided it doesn't like this lot. I'm merely childminding them, making sure the commoners and half-elves don't go gallivanting off and try to destroy the world."

Zelos felt five pairs of eyes turn on him after he finished speaking, ranging from the incredulous (Sheena), to the annoyed (Lloyd), to the uncomfortable (Genis and Raine). Presea's expression didn't really change enough to garner an emotion, and Colette's blank, disturbing gaze never wavered from staring unseeingly into the darkness. "What?" He held up his hands in a surrender and shrugged. "It's the truth."

"Nice to see you _still_ haven't managed to find a set of manners," Sheena muttered, throwing him a contemptuous look.

"Don't segregate the Professor and Genis off like that," said Lloyd tersely. Zelos' keen gaze didn't miss the younger boy's hands tightening on the hilts of his twin swords. "They're just as much a part of this group as you are."

"Did I ever say they weren't?" Zelos replied smoothly, before tasting the curry casually. "At least I didn't say they were blood traitors, or dirty, rotten criminals."

The metallic hiss of Lloyd's swords being drawn sliced through the uncomfortable atmosphere as he jumped to his feet. "How dare you say that?" Lloyd bit out, his brown eyes filled with anger and contempt. "They're much better people than a lot of the people we've met in this world, especially those... _snobby_ nobles in Meltokio, who think its fine to treat everyone else like dirt!"

Zelos stopped stirring and slowly stood up. With her close proximity, Sheena could discern the stiffening and straightening of his posture, and the ice seeping into his blue eyes. "Like I said earlier, Bud," he said calmly, coldly, "I'm just stating the view that I've been brought up with, that everyone in Tethe'alla has been brought up with. It's not being prejudiced or discriminatory, since I don't really buy into that particular bullshit. I get enough crap for being the Chosen, thanks. And you're right – they probably are a lot better than some of the people you've met here. That includes me, right?" He finished on a biting, icy note.

Sheena scrambled to her feet and quickly intercepted the two young men as Lloyd took another step forward, his face tightening. "C'mon guys, that's enough! You're both acting like children," she said, pushing a hand against both of their chests.

Lloyd's dark eyes stared up into Zelos' azure eyes for another long moment, as Sheena held her breath, before throwing down his two swords and stalking away into the darkness. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Genis leap to his feet and hurry after him.

Zelos' heavy exhale ghosted over Sheena's cheek, and she turned her head to face him. "Come help me finish dinner," she instructed quietly. He searched her eyes for a moment, then nodded once and sat down again. Sheena breathed a small sigh of relief, then seated herself as well.

"It needs some pepper," he muttered, picking up the ladle again and slowly stirring the curry with none of his former enthusiasm. She passed the container over and his sprinkled some of the tiny black flakes in. Sheena tucked a strand of dark violet hair behind her ear, and bit her lip. Then she reached for another pepper, and slowly began to carve it up.

**xXx**

Presently Lloyd returned with Genis trailing after him. He apologized to Zelos for his violent reaction, and Zelos nodded, saying he was sorry for causing the initial upset.

Dinner was strained and tense. It was their first evening as a group, and Sheena couldn't help but notice that the Sylvarant four all sat close together. She didn't feel quite... _right_ choosing to sit with them, and leaving Zelos and Presea as outsiders – despite the fact that Preasea was practically a stranger to her, and Zelos anything but a friend. To mediate, she chose to sit alone, right in the middle of the two groups. Zelos noted this with a half-smile, and struck up a conversation about What Comes Next (one they would have most nights from then on, as they would soon find) which successfully kept the awkward atmosphere contained to at least outside the sphere of light cast by the fire.

After volunteering to go on watch first, Sheena settled herself down on a nearby tree stump and drew her blanket close around her. The sounds of her sleeping companions soon filled her ears, and she quietly summoned Corrine to keep her company. The small, fox-like Summon Spirit happily curled up in her lap as she stared up into the heavens until her eyes blurred and her vision was fractured when her eyes began to water.

Hours later, a rustling sound made her head turn, snapped back to reality from her musings and memories. A tiny smile lifted her lips when she saw Zelos sit up, his hair matted and knotted in a wild mane, his eyes cloudy with sleep.

He yawned and rubbed at his eyes, and Sheena quickly slid on a face of indifference. "Man, my back is killing me," he grumbled. His voice was throaty and low with tiredness, and Sheena rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, it's kinda hard to find portable four-poster beds," she taunted, surreptitiously hiding a yawn. Zelos stuck out his tongue at her, dug under his bedroll and groaned quietly when he unearthed a large stick that had obviously been causing his discomfort. Sheena sniggered quietly as he threw the stick onto the smouldering fire and ambled towards her.

"No kidding. I already miss my bed," he muttered, flopping down on the grass beside her. He stifled another yawn and glanced up at the night sky. "What time is it?"

Sheena glanced up too, noting the position of the moon and stars, shining small yet persistent against the inky sky. Almost like a metaphor of their group, she mused – so small against the darkness, the evil, yet burning bright with determination and passion. Bringing light to a dark world. "About one, I guess," she murmured eventually.

He groaned and rubbed at his face roughly. "Fantastic," he mumbled through his fingers. "You should get some sleep, I'll cover this watch. Lloyd's dead to the world anyway." She followed his eyes and smirked when she saw Lloyd sprawled on his back, his mouth wide open and one wrist thrown over his eyes.

She sighed and re-tied her hair, scraping it back into a loose braid to sleep in. "Oh well, it was nice of him to volunteer."

"And even nicer of me to take his shift, since I'm saving him some sleep." Zelos stood and stretched, all the muscles in his lithe body springing to life. "C'mon, Domestic Goddess, beddy-byes."

She scowled and punched his arm as she uncoiled herself from her seat on the stump. "Shut up, assface," she muttered.

He snatched her blanket before she could and instantly wrapped himself up in it as he snorted with laughter. "_Assface?_ Nice to know you consider my face to be as attractive as my behind. I didn't realise you'd noticed its perfection. It certainly keeps the girls looking." He shuffled happily on the stump, wriggling his ass from side to side as he teased her.

Rolling her eyes, she shoved Zelos off the stump and grabbed her blanket back. "Shut up!" she hissed, mindful of their slumbering companions. She began to pick her way carefully over to her own bedroll, when –

"Sheena?"

The near-silent whisper held a subtle, almost... pleading tone that made her stop and glance back. Zelos stood where she'd left him, his eyes carefully trained on the ground as he slowly drew his toe through the dust.

"Was I... I mean... I didn't mean for it to come out like it did."

Finally, he lifted his head up and met her gaze. His milky, porcelain skin seemed to glow white in the moonlight. "Earlier, at dinner," he clarified. "You know that, right? The others know that... right?"

Sheena held her tongue as she slid her gaze to the sleeping half-elves, their hair glinting silvery-blue in the firelight. She sighed and raked a hand through her hair. "Yeah, we know," she murmured eventually.

He nodded once, a short, sharp jerk of the head. "Good. Because we're... me and them... even you, I guess - we all know what it's like." The blue of his eyes was intense. Startling. "To be different. To be treated differently." He ran a hand through his flaming mane of hair, tugging futilely at the strands. "And I hate being a hypocrite," he whispered, so softly she almost didn't catch it as he looked away.

Sheena felt a tug of pity in her gut, thinking of the isolation they all felt. And none would have felt the loneliness more than the young man standing a few feet away from her. After all, Genis and Raine had each other, while Sheena had the support of her village.

Zelos was truly alone, trapped by his destiny.

Zelos nodded again, once, but slower, then turned and seated himself on the tree stump with his back to the camp. A minute or so later something hit his back, and he whirled around to see Sheena's blanket lying innocently on the grass, having been thrown at him. He glanced up to see Sheena shifting onto her side, her back to Zelos, curled up underneath the scratchy spare blanket. A small smile covered his face, lighting his eyes as they roved over the curvy silhouette and mussed purple-black hair of the summoner, as he picked up the blanket – still-warm – and wrapped it around himself.

The lingering lavender scent of her filled his head as he lifted his eyes to the star-strewn heavens.

**xXx**

**A/N: I'm back! And with a new string of not-quite one-shots, but not-quite a story either. Basically I'm going to follow Sheena and Zelos' relationship through seven specific nights, like this one.**

**Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it :) Next update should be pretty soon, since school finishes next Friday FINALLY!**


	2. Fearful Night

**Seven Nights**

* * *

**Fearful Night**

* * *

It was choking her.

A prickling numbness, causing her throat to close up painfully, her heart to beat erratically, a trickle of ice to run down her spine.

Fear.

A shudder wracked her body and she rubbed at her arms roughly, trying to banish the ice running through her veins, under her skin. The night air held a harsh chill to her, and she could see Lloyd glancing over at her anxiously as she continued to shiver and rub at her arms.

"Sheena? You're cold?"

Zelos glanced up from where he was positioning the logs and kindling in the fire-pit, his brow furrowing as he saw Sheena practically folded into herself and shivering slightly. "Won't be a sec, Gorgeous," he called over to her. When she remained silent, the furrows grew deeper – normally his nicknames earned him a scathing retort or at least some protest. But she appeared not to have even heard her. "Hey Little One, go get our Mizuho flower will ya?" he said to Presea, who blinked her big blue eyes and obediently got to her feet.

He quickly finished arranging the fire and coaxed it into life just as Presea appeared at his shoulder, her hand clasping Sheena's gently. The ninja looked as if she was sleepwalking, her eyes half-closed as she swayed slightly. With the help of the Professor, she was guided down next to the flaring fire.

"Sheena? What's wrong?" Genis' head popped up from across the flames, a worried expression painted on his young face. Regal glanced up from preparing dinner as well.

She felt their eyes on her, cutting through the prickling numbness, and turned away. "I'm fine," she murmured. Though unconvinced, many of them turned back to their tasks. Genis left Lloyd setting up the bedrolls and skirted around the fire to where his sister was holding a hand to Sheena's forehead and looking pensive.

"Do you feel hot?" she murmured, her trained healer eyes critically examining the younger woman.

Sheena shook her head and tucked a strand of dark violet hair behind her ear. "No... c-cold..."

"Hmm... Just take it easy and stay close to the fire, you'll warm up." Raine gave her a kind smile and stood up, with the smile instantly dropping off her face as she did so. Zelos glanced at Lloyd, ready for the younger man to jump in and quiz the Professor on Sheena's status in the partly nosy, partly concerned way of his. However, Lloyd was still taking his time setting up the camp, barely noticing what was going on around him. He frequently glanced up and to the east, his face drawn and sad, staring up wistfully at the red-streaked sky.

They needed to hurry and rescue Colette, before they completely lost their self-appointed leader.

With a jolt, Zelos realised that the duty Lloyd had shrugged off in his haze needed to be taken up by someone else, so he stood and inconspicuously snagged Raine's arm, turning her away from the camp and meeting the concern shining through like silver in her grey eyes.

"What's wrong with Sheena?" he murmured, his eyes flickering to the two girls sat by the fire. Presea seemed to be trying to engage Sheena in conversation, but was failing miserably.

Raine sighed and rubbed at her tired eyes. "She's not ill, if that's what you mean. Not as far as I can tell, anyway," she replied.

Zelos frowned slightly. "But she's white as a sheet and shivering like it's mid-winter in Flanoir!"

"I know," she murmured, "but she's not running a fever and she didn't show any symptoms before we arrived."

"Then what is it?"

Raine was silent, and then glanced up at the shadowy moss-covered tower to the north. "It's fear."

He wanted to laugh, scoff at the idea, but as he followed Raine's gaze he felt as if a boulder had been dropped in the cavern of his stomach.

_Fear?_

"If she wasn't essential for the pact with Volt, I'd suggest we leave her here tomorrow. As it is..." Raine sighed and looked up into Zelos' suddenly wan face. "She's just going to have to face her demons. And tonight will be difficult for her, so please Zelos... think before you speak."

"I'm glad you think so highly of me, Professor," he drawled, feeling a flare of indignation. He wasn't a completely callous bastard.

Honest.

She shook her head and moved away to murmur something in Regal's ear. He slowed his stirring, before nodding and calling to Sheena, asking for her help with the meal.

Sheena didn't hear Regal's call. Her head felt fuzzy, achy – she felt like she was dreaming. But then a glance up at the Temple of Lightning sent another rush of numbing fear through her system, and she knew this wasn't a dream. She was really here, and was really going to have to face Volt once more in mere hours.

She let out a gasp when two large hands descended on her shoulders, long red tendrils falling in front of her face, followed by the upside-down face of her least favourite swordsman. "Hellooooo," he sang with a small grin, "anyone home?"

She pushed him away quickly as she stood, and felt a spark of annoyance flare, bright and electric, through her haze. "Get away from me Zelos," she snapped.

His eyebrow quirked when he saw a flash of the real Sheena light up her pale face. He ignored the rest of the group, who were keeping half an eye on the pair, and stepped up to her, smirking lightly at her. "Did you get lost there? Hurt yourself thinking too much?"

A growl of annoyance met his ears and her eyes were narrowed slits of dark fire. "You're such an asshole. You barely even have the capacity to think yourself."

"Oho," he chuckled, "I beg to differ."

"You would. Your mission in life seems to be to disagree with me and annoy me until you drop down dead from the effort. Unfortunately for me, you seem to be hanging on in there."

He slapped his hands to his heart and flung back his head. "Oh my Mizuho hunny, how you wound me!"

A ghost of a grin shimmered on Sheena's face, before she turned and walked away, sitting down beside Regal as if she'd never missed his call minutes before.

Zelos watched her pick up a knife and start to dice vegetables with a tiny smirk on his face, which was soon removed when Raine grabbed his ear and yanked him away from the camp. His face scrunched up at the pain, but the Professor kept a tight hold on him.

"What. Did. I. Just. Say?!" she hissed, finally releasing his throbbing ear.

"Jeez, Raine, are you that feisty in bed too?" he moaned, rubbing at his abused ear. She sighed and covered her eyes.

"I just told you, Zelos, not two minutes ago, to _think_ before you speak to Sheena tonight."

"I did! Are you telling me you killed my poor ear, probably threatening my hearing abilities as well, just because of that little spat?"

"It may have been a 'little spat' to you, but Sheena isn't herself tonight. I thought you would be more supportive of her!"

"Oh Raine," he sighed, finally dropping his hand and revealing an ear almost as red as his hair. Raine fought back a smirk at her handiwork. "I was trying to help her."

"Killing you really won't help her predicament."

Zelos shrugged and tossed back his flaming hair. "I figured I'd rile her up and scare off the creepy zombie Sheena that had been sat at our campfire. I've got our little Spitfire back, thank you _very_ much."

Raine's eyes widened considerably and her mouth struggled to find words. "So all that... so you..."

Zelos snorted and crossed his arms. "Yeah. Thanks for the vote of confidence though Raine." He watched her face turn a deep red, before dropping his arms and the blank face he'd put on and wrapping an arm around her shoulders with a grin. "I don't blame ya really, I sure as hell wouldn't trust me." Internally, he cursed at just how true his words rang.

Raine fought back her embarrassment, huffing and sighing in indignation as she ducked out from under his arm. She pointed a finger at him sternly, but she couldn't quite get rid of her smile. "Just... Behave, mister," she said, waggling her finger.

Zelos saluted her lazily and ambled back to the campfire.

**xXx**

As darkness descended so too did the cloud of terror around Sheena once more, and she became increasingly reserved as the night wore on. Conversation was sparse as her odd mood seemed to spread, leaving the other group members quiet and preoccupied, trapped in their own thoughts.

Zelos sighed for the umpteenth time and tapped his fingers against his pale cheek impatiently. He was perhaps the only one not under the effect of Sheena's strange mood. It was like the calm before the storm, and he was getting antsy.

"I wish we could just get in there and get on with it," he muttered to Lloyd, who was busy carving up a branch. Zelos glanced at it and almost scoffed when he saw a very familiar face emerging from the woodwork. All that was missing was the long blonde hair and the big blue eyes. His eyes were then drawn almost magnetically to the huge curving tower that loomed over them.

"Yeah, same," Lloyd replied. He paused in his carving to rub away a rough patch. "While we're sat here waiting, Colette's out there somewhere... with that Rodyle guy doing who knows what to her..." He choked slightly and shook his head. "Damn it."

Zelos sighed and leant back on his elbows. His cerulean eyes scanned the campsite, noticing that something was amiss. He did a quick head count, and sat bolt upright.

"Hey... where's Sheena?"

Raine's head popped up from her book. Presea and Genis glanced over from where they had been sat talking quietly. Regal stood up and surveyed the area. "She said she was just going to refill the water at the stream," he said calmly, yet his eyes continued to search for her. "But she should have been back by now."

Zelos leapt to his feet; finally, something to do! "Never fear, guys," he drawled. "I'll go rescue our fair banshee." He glanced to Lloyd, who was also getting up and dusting off his trousers. "You coming along for the adventure, bud?"

"Anything's better than sitting here waiting," the youth muttered, and the pair headed off in the direction Regal indicated. They tramped over the grass, casting about for the familiar figure of the ninja. The relief of the land was fairly flat, more like a big plain than anything else. There were only sparse bouts of vegetation dotted about, and Zelos felt increasingly anxious as they continued to search for her.

After several minutes, Lloyd elbowed Zelos, eliciting a grunt and a returning shove, and pointed to his left.

Zelos followed Lloyd's finger and saw a dark figure hunched over on the side of a stream. Sheena's knees were tucked tightly under her chin, and every so often she would reach up and wipe at her face. She stretched out a finely trembling hand and traced something onto the dazzling silver liquid, bright with the moon's luminescence. The cloud overhead shifted, and a shaft of moonlight highlighted the subtle violet colour in her dark hair. A muffled sob drifted over to the two young men, and they glanced uneasily at each other.

"D'you think we should go to her?" Lloyd whispered, turning back to Sheena's silhouette.

Zelos rubbed at his neck, uncomfortable all of a sudden.

_"...tonight will be difficult for her, so please Zelos... think before you speak."_

"I don't think I should," he murmured, fiddling with his long gloves as another hiccupping sob echoed in the still night. "She hates me. I might not make it back to camp," he cracked weakly.

Lloyd glanced up at him, reading the unease in his clear blue eyes, but also seeing a hint of something else... regret? Sorrow? However, Lloyd had never professed himself to be good at reading other people, so he merely shrugged and traipsed over to Sheena, carefully seating himself beside her.

Zelos stayed where he was for a few more minutes, listening to the low murmurs drifting back to him, the words incomprehensible. All of a sudden, Sheena shifted to lay her head against Lloyd's shoulder, and he in turn moved to wrap an arm tightly across her shoulders. He pulled her in close, and they remained like that for a long time.

Zelos watched from the shadows the entire time, feeling a tightness in his chest and an odd flaring, sickening feeling in his stomach.

* * *

**A/N: **Ugh I had no idea that chapter would be such a pain to write. My original idea for this night had to be completely scrapped, which left me floundering a bit. Sorry about the length, but I just wanted to get this one out of the way so I could move on.

It's my birthday today! :D Sweet Seventeen, woop woop. Leave me some love in the form of reviews and I'll love you forever :)

Next chapter should be up pretty soooon!


	3. Sorrowful Night

**Seven Nights**

* * *

**Sorrowful Night**

* * *

It struck her when they were jogging down the stairs, with the faint glimmer of the dying sun's rays only a couple of hundred metres away.

Desperate to leave the tower, Sheena had led the group in a hasty trot across the atrium beneath Volt's alter, and down the steep stairs. As she ran, she wiped away a smear of bright blood on her cheek left from the confrontation with the Summon Spirit.

As she did so, she realised she was gripping something tightly – painfully tight – in her hand. She unclenched her white fist, and saw Corrine's bell shine in the dim light of the Temple. The bright gold bell, so small in her hand, had been too big for Corrine originally. The tiny Summon Spirit had had to grow into his treasured collar, which Sheena had given to him on the day of his creation.

The bell caught the light, and Sheena felt her breath catch when she saw a flash of fur, and a familiar fox-like grin reflected in its surface.

With her gaze drawn to the bell, her stomach swooped queasily when her foot slipped on one of the steps.

She fell.

A gasp tore from her throat as she tumbled down the steep steps, her body colliding painfully with the sharp edges.

"Sheena!"

The crackling of the electric gateway fast approaching echoed alarmingly in her ears as she fell, and she reached out desperately, her fingers scrabbling at cold stone. The sound of her panicked breaths filled her ears with the crackling noise that was growing louder by the second. Holding the bell tightly in one hand, she squeezed her eyes shut and waited.

Suddenly something heavy crashed into her from behind, causing her to cry out and drop the bell in shock. Long arms wrapped around her, shielding her, and they rolled to a stop barely a metre from the sizzling gate. Gasping, Sheena's eyes flew open to meet a pair of equally shocked brilliant cerulean eyes, framed by wisps of crimson hair.

"Well... I've never dived down a staircase before!" Zelos grinned crookedly and shook back some of his hair. "But it got me here, so I guess it was worth it." His grin turned wicked as he glanced down at their position; her petite, curvy frame trapped beneath his lithe, muscular build.

"Get off me, you ass," she gasped breathlessly, pushing repeatedly at his chest until he shifted enough for her to roll out from under him. Casting about, eyes wide with panic, she finally spotted the bell, which had rolled to a stop some way away. She crawled over to it and cradled it in her palms, searching desperately for Corrine's reflection in the curved gold surface.

It was gone.

As her split second of hope was ruined, the well of grief, exasperation and sorrow began to overflow within her body, and tears pushed against her lower lids, threatening her composure and making her bite her lip until it split.

"Sheena! Are you okay?" Lloyd was closely followed by Genis, and after jumping down the last few steps the boys crashed to their knees on either side of her, examining her bruised and battered body.

Groaning, Zelos pushed himself to his feet and rubbed at his bicep, which had been badly bruised by a stair during his wild leap. "Oh yeah, I'm just fine guys, thanks for asking," he grumbled, wincing slightly.

Presea calmly made her way down the steps and peered up into his pale face. "Are you alright, Zelos?" she inquired politely, as if she was asking about the weather.

Zelos let out a snort of laughter and ruffled her long cerise hair. "I'll live, my little Rosebud." Turning, he limped over to the rest of the group, who were gathered around Sheena. Regal was in the middle of helping her to her feet when she suddenly sagged against him, and let out a long, low cry of despair that made Zelos' heart jump and shudder. Pushing forward, he caught a glimpse of her pale, heart-shaped face and was shocked to see two rivulets of tears streaming down her cheeks.

Not once, in all his years of knowing the fiery ninja (which was practically his whole life, something the rest of the group was not yet aware of) had he seen tear tracks staining her cheeks. He'd seen her close to tears, yes; wipe away pesky lonesome tears before they fell, sure; but not once in the ten years he had known her had Zelos seen Sheena dissolve into tears, and cry as she was doing now.

It tore his heart a little.

"Sheena," he murmured, pushing forward to her other side while the rest of the group stood in seemingly stunned silence. "We need to get her out of this place," he said to Regal, taking hold of her other arm.

"Indeed," Regal replied, his deep voice echoing slightly in the cavernous tower. "Can you carry her Zelos? I would, but with my hands bound as they are..." His shackles clinked obtrusively.

Within seconds, Zelos had swept the inconsolable girl up into his arms, grunting slightly at the strain on his bruised arms. "C'mon guys, let's get outta here before we get zapped or something," he said, nodding to Regal to lead the way.

Sheena had moved to lay her head against his shoulder, her gasping sobs ghosting over the sensitive skin of his neck, as she pressed Corrine's bell to her lips in a tight fist. She felt like a dam had burst within her; a volcano erupted – unable to stop the tears from pouring from beneath her long lashes, she surrendered herself to her grief.

The seven of them hurried along the bridge and burst out into the open air. The fading sunlight illuminated the pink-smeared sky, giving the clouds a rosy glow. A wind was starting to pick up, and Zelos felt Sheena shudder in his arms. His pink tunic was starting to become damp from her tears, and he shifted her slightly to get a better grip on her body.

"Guys? What're we gonna do now?" he asked impatiently.

Lloyd glanced to Sheena, whose face was bowed against Zelos' shoulder and neck. "I don't think we should camp here, like last night," he said, looking around at his comrades. "The sooner Sheena's away from this place the better. We need to hurry and infiltrate the Renegades base to get the Rheairds and rescue Colette. I say we jump straight in the EC and try to get there by morning."

Zelos bit back a snappy retort about how Lloyd was choosing Colette over Sheena's wellbeing, but then realised that he would probably do the same thing if he was in the younger boy's position. Besides, Sheena would have ample time to recover while they travelled.

"Don't we need to restock or resupply or anything?" asked Genis, frowning as he tried to recall the state of their supplies.

"We should be fine, we left extra supplies on the EC," Raine replied. "I think Lloyd's right – we can use the trip to regroup and heal, while giving Sheena some time to deal with the situation."

"Great! Now that we've decided, d'you think we could get a move on before our lovely banshee breaks my arms?" Zelos cursed when Raine slapped the back of his head at his comment, and then winced when he felt a sharp pinch on his chest. Glancing down, he was surprised to see Sheena glaring up at him, with fresh tears still coating her cheeks.

"Hey J-Jackass, I'm not t-that heavy," she huffed; her eyes, cheeks and nose were all flushed red from her crying jag. He blinked several times in surprise, but then settled into an easy grin as the group began striding away towards the dock.

"Of course not, Sweetums, but you did already maim my arm when I dove to your rescue," he replied with a smirk, which soon turned into another wince when she pinched him again. "Those are some nice talons you have there."

She hiccupped slightly and rested her forehead against his neck again. "Oh, so s-suddenly it's my fault that you leapt like a blind ballerina?" she grumbled. She inhaled deeply, trying to get some oxygen to clear her tear-soaked head, but all she got was a wave of Zelos' scent. It was slightly musky, slightly soapy, and tinged with the sweet scent of his special shampoo for his prized hair. Altogether, it was surprisingly comforting, and she took another deep breath as she felt his chest vibrate beneath her cheek with laughter.

"Well _obviously,_ if you hadn't slipped I wouldn't have had to dive after you. And I would like to point out that I had at _least_ the grace of a one-eyed ballerina. 'Blind' is unnecessarily harsh. And I couldn't exactly let you get fried by that gate either; Lloyd and Genis would probably murder me, and then of course I wouldn't have the constant entertainment that you provide. You're like a one-man show, honey; who needs Lloyd's slapstick comedy when I have your blind hatred, hmm?"

Zelos looked down at the young woman cradled in his arms when she failed to supply some form of pain or protest at his blabbering, and saw that she had fallen asleep, clearly exhausted from their antics in the Temple, the fight against Volt and the emotional wound left by Corrine's sacrifice. A soft smile tugged at his thin lips, and he hefted her up higher in his arms and sped up.

**xXx**

"...Another hour... Renegades... still sleeping..."

Sheena struggled back into consciousness, fighting back a pounding headache, as the soft murmurs of a conversation close by drew her attention. Drawing herself from the clutches of slumber, she sat up, narrowly missing banging her head on the bunk above.

'_I guess we're on the EC.'_

She drew in a deep breath and scrubbed at her face, trying to rid herself of the evidence of her breakdown. When she dropped her hands, she saw that Genis had fallen asleep at her bedside. His silvery-blue head was laid on the blanket by her hip, and his soft snores met her ears. Smiling, she ran a hand through his hair, gentle enough that it wouldn't disturb his sleep.

"Oh man, don't tell me you have a soft side. That would totally cancel out all your hard work proving yourself to be a demonic banshee."

Startled, Sheena's head shot up, and a scowl quickly worked its way onto her face when she saw Zelos leaning against the doorway. He'd ditched his pink waistcoat, leaving him in his baggy white trousers and black vest. His broad shoulders, encased in smooth alabaster skin, tapered down to a muscled chest and slim hips. A wicked grin lit his face as she paused to take in his form.

"See something you like?"

Sheena's lip immediately curled, and her dark eyes flickered over him once more. "Hardly. You're quite revolting really. Where are we?"

Zelos strode into the room and leant instead against the bunks. "The middle of the sea," he answered honestly with a grin. "The Professor said we were just starting to head east to the Renegade base near Flanoir, we should be there by early morning. Lloyd reckons we can catch them off-guard that way."

"Oh. Right." Sheena pushed back her messy hair and rubbed at her eyes again, making bright spots dance and flicker behind her lids. When she dropped her hands, she was met with Zelos' sparkling eyes which held deeper facets of concern. "I'm fine," she snapped. "Stop looking at me like that." She shifted uncomfortably under his stare, hating herself for displaying such weakness in front of everyone. Especially him. No doubt he'd seize the opportunity as a good chance for blackmail sometime in the future.

Eventually Zelos shifted, drawing his eyes away from her pale face and down to the slumbering boy. Leaning down, he picked Genis up and set him in the bunk above Sheena, before taking the previously occupied seat beside Sheena's bunk.

"My, aren't we Mr Muscle today," she said with a smirk, watching the cords and muscles in his strong arms flex and writhe beneath the skin.

They secretly fascinated her.

Leaning back in his chair, Zelos matched her smirk with one of his own. "Of course. No point letting these bad boys go to waste." His muscles jumped and then relaxed as he flexed, and the muscles in Sheena's heart squeezed tightly in response, leaving her slightly short of breath.

"You're so full of it," she said, trying to laugh it off.

Silence fell for a few moments, but their usual tension was conspicuously absent. Other than Genis' soft grunts and snores, the air was unusually still and quiet. Finally, Zelos cleared his throat and reached into his pocket. "Here, I picked this up earlier," he said softly. "You dropped it when I put you down on the bunk."

With finely trembling fingers, Sheena reached out and closed her fingers around Corrine's bell, which lay glinting dully on Zelos' palm. Knowing she was setting herself up for heartache, but unable to stop herself at the same time, she rubbed her fingers against the gold, curving surface and peered at the reflection. She saw nothing more than her own distorted appearance, and another spike of despair pierced her chest.

She choked back a fresh sob, fighting for control over her own treacherous body.

'_Don't. Don't! C'mon Sheena. Get it together.'_

Despite her best efforts a single tear escaped, sliding down her pale cheek.

Unexpectedly, a rough thumb wiped it away before she could lift her own hand. Raising her eyes, she saw that Zelos had moved, now perched on the side of her bunk. His hand lingered on her cheek, his thumb brushing softly through the tear's track. His eyes were darker than normal, almost navy, and full of empathy.

"It's okay," he whispered. His voice was rough and husky, even to his own ears, and he cleared his throat again uncomfortably. "It's okay."

Her eyes slid shut, which pushed another tear out from beneath thick lashes, and she leaned forward, bowing her head slightly. She took a deep shuddering breath, the exhale whispering against his cheek, and opened her eyes again. The tears refracted the soft brown shade, creating shades of chocolate, coffee and almost black.

It made his breath catch painfully in his chest.

"It hurts... so much," she whimpered, and his arms moved to encircle her protectively.

"I know," he whispered, wiping away the errant tear. "I know it hurts."

Her head lifted, and she saw the same pain in her heart reflected in his eyes. "Your mother."

He nodded, and pulled her closer. Her arms closed around his white marble shoulders – but no marble could be this warm or soft – and she rested her head against his shoulder, while he in turn buried his face in her hair, inhaling her lilac scent.

**xXx**

Raine headed down the hallway to check on Sheena, but stopped short in the doorway. She drew back slightly and peered around the corner so as not to disturb the occupants.

Zelos and Sheena were sat on the lower bunk, clutching each other tightly, while Genis slumbered on above their heads. Zelos' large hand ran over her dark, violet-tinted hair then down her back, and soft soothing noises whispered from his lips. Sheena's face could just be seen, half-hidden under his chin, with two streams of tears running down her cheeks from closed eyes. They gleamed like molten silver in the shadowy bunk.

Smiling sadly, Raine backed away and walked off quietly back down the hallway.

**xXx**

Eventually Sheena drew away from him, and immediately felt the chill, missing the warmth that his body provided. She sniffed and took several deep breaths, feeling embarrassment course through her body, along with some confusion. Zelos was still holding her close, his one hand rubbing soothing circles against her back, while the other gently wiped away her tears.

"I'm sorry," she choked out, but he shushed her and smoothed his thumb against her still-damp cheek. "I hate crying," she mumbled, feeling increasingly awkward at their unusual position. She was used to screaming at Zelos and being mocked by him, not being held and comforted by him, and _certainly_ not crying on his shoulder.

"I don't think anyone does, to be honest," he replied, putting more distance between them which put her more at ease. "But sometimes, crying is all you can do. It's better than holding it all in, that's for sure." She mumbled something else, and his forehead wrinkled. "What was that?"

"I never cry in front of people. I hate showing weakness," she whispered, staring down at the bell clutched tightly in her hand.

He gently gripped her chin and tilted it up to face him. She reluctantly pulled her gaze up to his handsome face, almost surprised at just how much care shone though his normally laughing eyes. "You can't be strong all the time. You're human," he said softly, and a smile lit up his eyes as she chuckled. "Something that I now know! I couldn't be sure, having never seen you cry before. I had a sneaky suspicion you were a machine or something."

Her face scrunched up in indignation, and she punched his stomach lightly. "Asshole," she grumbled.

"Oh c'mon, in ten years I hadn't seen you cry once! What am I supposed to think?"

"That's I'm not a pansy like you, clearly."

"Pansy? Oh, so _that's_ why my shirt's damp, it's soaked with my own very masculine tears, how stupid of me."

"Oh shut it. And how can be tears be masculine?!"

"Well, when you're a handsome specimen of male like me, everything is purely masculine. Maybe I should show you sometime. Oooft!" He doubled over when Sheena's fist made contact with his stomach again, although much harder.

"You big jerk."

"I do try," he wheezed.

* * *

**A/N: **I actually quite like this chapter :) hah. Sorry about the wait, I had aimed to get it finished before I went to Spain, but that didn't happen.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, more soon!


	4. Dangerous Night

**Seven Nights**

* * *

**Dangerous Night**

**A/N:** I've done my research (thanks Youtube!) and tried to use as much of the original script of this scene as possible, although I have changed it quite a bit. I always did think it was way too stilted and unemotional. Artistic licence and all that :D Enjoy!

* * *

Anger wasn't normally an emotion that could be easily linked to Zelos. In fact, it was rarely linked to him at all. His calm and laid-back demeanour generally doused the flames of fury before they could consume him.

This night, however, proved to be an exception.

With a grunt, he kicked at the Papal Knight he had just rendered unconscious, and raised his sword again as another group of the damn brutes stepped up. They really had better things to do than to be dealing with Kuchinawa's shit, he mused.

"Damn, there's too many of them," he heard Lloyd pant behind him.

To his left, Sheena felled another Knight with a well-placed roundhouse kick and a slap of her cards. "Kuchinawa! Please!" she yelled, wiping away a trickle of blood from her split lip. "Don't drag them into this!" She stepped forward and raised her chin, meeting the malicious glint of her childhood friend's eyes above his facemask. "I'm the one you despise, right? Then... Then I'm the only one you need to kill!"

Zelos' muttered curse at this new development was covered by Lloyd's hard voice. "Sheena, stop talking like that," he ground out. The young swordsman darted forward, but Regal held him back. His wise blue eyes showed his own conscience warring between stepping in and letting the pair settle their differences in the only way possible. Genis let out a quiet squeak and gripped his kendama harder. The other girls were all frozen, not knowing if it was their place to interfere. Colette's hands were clapped over her mouth, her eyes large and full of fear for her friend.

Sheena glanced over her shoulder at her companions, a crooked, wobbly smile on her lips. "It's okay," she said, and turned back to the red-garbed ninja she used to love like a brother. How could things have changed so quickly? How could things have gone so wrong? She took a deep breath, and murmured, "Kuchinawa... please!"

Kuchinawa's dark eyes bore into hers, and eventually he took a step a step forward and nodded stiffly. "Fine." Within a second, his hands were gripping two lethal daggers that appeared to have been conjured out of thin air. Sheena's heart thumped leadenly in her chest as she recalled his unnatural speed and agility from their training sessions years ago.

But she had to do this. For her friends' sake. And for Kuchinawa's as well.

Besides, she never said she'd go down without a fight.

Gripping her cards in determination and more than a little fear, Sheena began to walk towards her opponent.

A mixture of anger and frustration was pulsing beneath Zelos' skin, thrumming through his veins, as he watched with incredulity the scene unfolding before him. His breathing echoed in his head, deep and furious breaths that failed to alleviate the pain in his chest, and his hands were shaking even as they gripped his weapons with white knuckles.

'_Damn it Sheena, don't you dare.'_

"Look, the gate!" He heard Presea's quiet voice vaguely through his fog, and whipped around with everyone else to look.

The enormous pillars of rock, so ancient and full of mystery, were beginning to change. Strange symbols, patterns, hieroglyphs and markings of unknown origins began to appear on the rough surfaces, glowing with a ghostly green-white light that trickled down the rock and filled invisible grooves. A similar light pulsated far above their heads, directly above the centre of the odd rock formation.

The ground began to shake perceivably – tiny pebbles and stones jittering across the clearing, a deep groaning noise coming from the very earth beneath their feet. A particularly loud rumble sent them all stumbling, and when they regained their balance they saw a vortex had appeared in the circle of rocks, the earth rippling and bubbling as if it were turbulent, boiling water. The light grew brighter, and began to filter down the rocks, rippling across the ground until the vortex was lit with the eerie light, which appeared to shine up from beneath the earth.

Thoroughly shaken, the group all stared at the spectacle in fascination.

All of them, except for two.

Sheena had turned back to her adversary after the miniature quake, and they were now only a few metres apart. Her heart and throat felt like they were being strangled, gripped by fists of iron, and she fought to keep her legs from shaking. If she was to go out fighting, then she didn't want her last moments to be those of a feared little girl.

Zelos ripped his eyes away from the sight of the Gate opening, and felt his heart freeze for a moment when he saw the gleam in Kuchinawa's eyes. A gleam that promised pain, showed his thirst for spilled blood, and the desire for revenge of the fiercest kind. The cold spread from his heart, filling him with a fearful chill.

Then his heart slammed back into his chest, thumping away and replacing the chill with the heat of anger and adrenaline.

He quickly sheathed his sword and took a step forward. "You've got to be kidding me," he growled, before taking off in a sprint just as Sheena drew to a halt before Kuchinawa. "Enough of this Sheena!" he yelled, grabbing her wrist just as Kuchinawa settled into a fighting position. Sheena cried out in shock and pain at his impossibly tight grip, and he wrenched her away. "Lloyd, come on!" Zelos sprinted towards the gate, hearing Kuchinawa's bellow of rage behind him, and practically dragging Sheena along behind him. She tried to dig her heels into the ground, and leant back so far she feared her arm would be wrenched from its socket, but he merely tugged hard at her wrist and she stumbled forward with another cry of pain.

"Get them!" Came the enraged cry from behind them, and Zelos put on another burst of speed, rushing straight past his companions.

"Zelos!" Sheena screamed, stumbling and tripping from his incredible speed. He ignored her, and together they entered the circle of the Gate.

Hot white light engulfed them, forcing them to squeeze their eyes shut from the pain it caused their retinas. A strong wind rushed around them, and they were spinning, and Sheena was screaming, and there was nothing beneath them, and their lungs were growing tighter, and Zelos' hand was still hot on her wrist, and the howling grew louder, and they were still spinning, and there was a gut-wrenching jerk and –

The pair fell from the sky as the howling wind immediately ceased. Zelos' eyes popped open and he grabbed her waist as they fell, Sheena's scream ringing in his ears, and managed to turn them so that he was beneath her, just before they landed in a dusty and painful heap on the hard ground ten feet below.

They lay there for a second, panting hard, until Sheena raised her head from where it had been laid on his firm chest. She was draped over his body, and she could feel his chest rising with shallow breaths beneath hers. Groaning, Zelos rubbed at his ringing, aching head, and lifted his eyes to Sheena's face. Her naturally pale skin was almost white, and her dark eyes burned with the anger his had been filled with only moments ago. Her full lips were pressed into a tight line, and he could feel her petite frame almost vibrating with barely-contained fury.

"Are you alright?" he gasped, still slightly breathless from when Sheena had landed on him and forced the air from his lungs.

These three words apparently shattered whatever restraint Sheena had been holding onto. With a snarl she drew back her fist and slammed it into his face, hearing both her knuckles and his cheekbone sickly crunching from the force. He let out a muffled yell of pain and raised his hands to block her other fist, leaving him open to a fist to his stomach, which had him wheezing and feeling his stomach churn queasily. Shouting incoherently, she continued her assault while he frantically blocked her blows, until strong hands finally wrenched her off his bruised body.

Zelos rolled over onto his hands and knees and retched, while he heard Regal and Lloyd trying to restrain Sheena, who was still shouting and struggling. A cool hand drew back his flaming hair, and Raine rubbed his back while he coughed and gagged, his bruised stomach and chest seizing up. When he had recovered sufficiently, he managed to sit back, turning to see Sheena trapped in the circle of Regal's arms. He had lifted her right off the ground, her arms pinned to her sides as she writhed and kicked at his shins.

"Zelos, what the hell did you think you were doing?!" she spat, watching him being helped to his feet by Colette and Raine. "Why did you butt in?!" Genis and Presea stood off to the side, apparently stunned into silence from the scene they had been confronted with when they too had emerged from the Gate.

His eyes glittered like ice as he wrenched his arm from Colette's grip and stumbled slightly, his eye already beginning to swell painfully. "Excuse me?" he hissed, incredulity seeping from his words. "Don't tell me you actually _wanted_ to die back there!"

Sheena tried to wriggle free of Regal's grip, but he merely tightened his muscles until he was on the verge of squeezing the air from her. "Damn you," she wheezed, shaking from the intensity of her rage. "Of course not! But it wasn't your place to interfere!"

"Sheena, calm down," murmured Lloyd, taking a step forward.

"So because I stopped you from getting beaten to a pulp by Kuchinawa, you decided to try and kill me instead?" he snapped. Zelos spat out a mouthful of metallic, hot blood and glared at Sheena. She fell still at the vehemence and fury that had caused his cerulean eyes to darken. His temper, although hard to release, had taken hold of him, and the storm cloud in his eyes showed flashes of anger and rumbles of thunderous rage.

"I wouldn't have," she whispered, feeling Regal's body tense behind her, even though Zelos' burning eyes weren't even directed at him. "I had everything under control."

"Grow up, Sheena!" he shouted, stepping away from Raine too. He held a hand to his bruised ribs, but made no move to heal them yet. "Even if Kuchinawa hadn't killed you, those Papal Knights would have. How could you be so selfish as to just give yourself up like that?! What the hell were you thinking?"

Her breath stolen for a second, Sheena struggled to find her footing again, before she shot back with, "How can you call me selfish? You're the most self-centred person I've ever met! It was between me and him, and you still got in the way. No-one else did! They all knew that it was something that I had to do. But not you." She shook her head slightly and gave a hoarse chuckle, conspicuously lacking real mirth. "Couldn't stay away all the from the drama, huh?"

Even as she spoke the words, she knew she'd gone too far. Zelos surged forward, his face taut, only to be blocked by Lloyd.

"Alright, stop it," Lloyd cried, grabbing Zelos by the shoulders and stepping between the two of them. Zelos shrugged him off forcefully, but Lloyd just shoved him back. "I said stop it!" The three of them stood panting, with Zelos' eyes piercing right into Sheena; she was almost waiting for rivulets of blood to come streaming down her face, such was the intensity. Tense silence swept through the group, until Regal hesitantly released his pressure on Sheena's body, allowing her to slip out from under his shackled hands.

"...Where are we?" he asked eventually, looking around at their new surroundings. Raine glanced around, recognising the scenery and connecting it with the hazy memories of her childhood.

"...Probably on the outskirts of Palmacosta," she murmured. She glanced up at the sky, where the sun was directly overhead, a mirror reflection of the moon's position in Tethe'alla.

"We're back in Sylvarant?" Colette asked, her voice wavering as she continued to glance between Zelos and Sheena. Sheena wrenched her eyes away from his, rubbing her bruised and split knuckles absently.

Genis brushed himself off and breathed in deeply as he looked around. "...The mana level seems to have risen, but it's definitely Sylvarant," he said.

Another silence descended, broken only by Zelos and Sheena's heavy breathing. Eventually, Regal cleared his throat and motioned towards the city in the distance. "Perhaps we should look for an inn in the city," he suggested, his deep voice calming to the frazzled tempers. Raine and Lloyd instantly agreed, and the others set about gathering their belongings.

Raine gently grasped Zelos' arm and turned him to face her. She quickly examined him, and murmured the spell for Nurse, since it didn't look like he was going to heal himself any time soon. "There, good as new," she said, casting a disapproving glance at Sheena, who was facing away from them and checking one of the packs.

He gave her a crooked grin, then his mouth flattened and he called out, "Looks like you messed up, hunny, my face is as gorgeous as ever."

Sheena's shoulders stiffened visibly, but then she relaxed, pulled the bag over her shoulder, and marched off, leaving the rest of the group in the midday sun.

**xXx**

Sheena sat alone in the room she was sharing with Presea, absently biting at her thumbnail. She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her head against them, sighing softly.

The group had checked into the hotel and eaten a quick, silent meal, before dragging themselves upstairs and crashing in their rooms despite the sun shining brightly outside; for them, it still felt like the middle of the night. When she had awoken, Sheena had found that her room-mate had already risen and left. It was now late, and she slipped off her bed to stand by the window.

Moonlight poured in when she pushed aside the curtain, a sliver of silver-grey that lit up her room ethereally. She rested her head against the cool pane of glass and closed her eyes, the events of that afternoon and the confrontation at the Gate replaying on a continuous loop in her head.

He was right, damn it. About everything. The guilt was immense, suffocating, especially when her mind flashed back to the sickening crunch of her fist meeting his face. She winced and pushed her head harder against the glass, as if the pressure could force the image from her mind.

How could she be so stupid? So _selfish_?

Before she had slipped into her room behind Presea, she had felt a light tug at her sleeve, and turned to see Colette standing there, looking troubled but resolute.

"Sheena, please don't do something like that again," she had said, her tone uncharacteristically grave. "Don't... don't make the same mistakes that I did." She shook her head and took Sheena's hand, gripping it tightly. "Nothing good will come of you sacrificing your life," she whispered, and Sheena felt another heavy weight drop into her stomach, already leaden with guilt.

Opening her eyes again, Sheena observed the quiet street below, and, stretching out towards the horizon, the seemingly endless expanse of dark water. If she held her breath, she could just hear the faint sounds of the waves slapping against the walls of the city. The sea was unusually calm tonight.

Unfortunately, Sheena couldn't say the same thing of herself.

The front door creaked open, and a tall figure stepped out onto the cobbled streets. They paused, cloaked in the shadow cast by the tall inn, then turned sharply right and disappeared around the corner. Just before they vanished, the moonlight illuminated a flame of hair.

_Zelos._

Without thinking, Sheena pushed up the window and slid out onto the sill, dropping to the ground like a cat. She cursed when her bruised and bloodied knuckles scraped against the cobbles, but ignored the pain and took off after him, her light footsteps barely making a sound.

She rounded the corner and drew to a halt. He had his back to her, and was leaning against the wooden railing, staring down into the gurgling river that met the sea only a few metres behind them.

"Come to beat me up some more?"

She froze at his low voice, her previous confidence whipped away in a second, leaving her uncertain and exposed. Knowing there was no point lingering in the shadows any longer, she straightened up and tread softly down the creaking wooden jetty, leaning against the railing a few inches from him. A strand of his crimson hair tickled her elbow.

"No," she whispered, staring into the turbulent water. It sloshed and swirled, much like her unsteady stomach.

He sighed and raked a hand through his unruly hair. "Then what do you want?" he asked. His tone betrayed his exhaustion and frustration. She bit her lip and ducked her head in shame, then lifted her gaze to his profile. He was staring resolutely down into the water, and she found herself grudgingly admiring his strong jaw and high cheekbones. A faint purplish-green shadow covered his cheek just below his eye, drawing her attention.

When she didn't reply, he glanced down at her, only to almost jerk back in shock when he saw her hand reaching for his face. They froze, Sheena's hand trembling and outstretched, until she took a step forward and lightly brushed her fingertips against the bruise.

"I just... I..." He felt her trembling and caught her hand in his, cradling it. She bit back a hiss of pain, and he released her swiftly, shocked to see blood seeping from her hand, almost black and glistening in the darkness.

"You're bleeding," he murmured, tugging her closer so he could examine her hand.

Sheena watched his long, white fingers trace her split knuckles and cleared her throat. "Well done, Captain Obvious." She shook her head and softened her tone. "Sorry. It's okay," she whispered hoarsely. "It doesn't hurt too bad. Almost fitting really..." Zelos raised his head when she trailed off, his forehead furrowed in questioning. She shrugged and ducked her head, clenching her hand a little and forcing out another trickle of blood, warm and wet, which slid onto her palm. "Blood on my hands," she breathed, so quietly he had to strain to hear her. "Both physically and metaphorically."

"Sheena, that wasn't your fault," he instantly assured her. "That was a freak accident, you aren't to blame at all for those people's deaths."

She shook her head. "I am Zelos. I am, and I know that. It's torn apart my relationship with Kuchinawa, as well as many of the villagers – not that they've ever said anything to me about it, but I know it. It was my fault, and... I have to bear that responsibility. I just hope I can make up for my mistakes one day. I just hope things will go back to how they were before."

"Sheena..."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry I yelled at you and attacked you like – like the demonic banshee I am," she burst out. Zelos' eyes widened in surprise, and he saw her lower lip tremble slightly. "I'm sorry, I really am," she continued, quieter, "And... thank you. Thank you for stopping me. You were right, I – I was... I..."

He silenced her by drawing her close, wrapping his arms around her and holding her, while she mumbled apologies brokenly into his shoulder. After a few moments, her arms lifted and she clutched at the front of his jacket, holding him tightly. Carefully, Zelos grasped her bleeding hand and brought it to his lips. He whispered the spell for First Aid, and watched as the skin appeared to knit itself back together, becoming smooth once more. Satisfied, he flipped her hand over and pressed a light kiss to her palm. He felt her other hand clutch at him harder, and her head lifted. His eyes were almost navy again, but there was warmth flickering in his eyes, comforting, rather than the flames of fury that had burned her hours before.

"It's okay, Sheena," he murmured, pulling her close again. He rested his chin on her hair and her eyes slid shut as she nestled under his chin. The discomfort she'd felt last time he had embraced her, all that time ago on the EC, had practically faded, and she inhaled his comforting scent, feeling her muscles relax. "I'm just glad you're okay," he said, brushing back a wisp of her dark hair.

He took a deep breath, the scent of lavender surrounding him, and watched their flickering, uneven reflection shifting in the water rushing past. After a while he moved his hands to her arms and held her away from him, searching her soft brown eyes. "Just don't do that again," he said with a chuckle, and she cracked a small smile.

"Which bit? Attacking you or trying to sacrifice myself?"

"Well both preferably. Luckily Rainy-babes managed to heal my gorgeous face and the bruise should be gone in a couple of days, so no permanent harm done. By the way, who the hell taught you to punch like that?"

The smile dropped from her face slightly. "Kuchinawa did." Then her lips lifted again and she laughed lightly. "I think his exact words were 'Use it on the Chosen if he ever tries to peek at you in the shower again'."

"Sheena, we've already covered this," he said with a sly smirk. "That was merely natural curiosity –"

"– Towards the unknown, yes I know." Her own lips pulled up into a matching smirk as she shoved him away. "Well maybe I was naturally curious about what your face would look like when it met my fist, hmm?"

"Hardy har har," he drawled as she hopped up onto the railing, and he leaned beside her. "Does that mean I get to peek at you in the shower again, since you roughed me up?"

"Err, what do you think?"

"Great! I'll be over in morning."

"Perv!" She smacked his shoulder as he snorted with laughter. "We're even now, so no peeking!"

He clapped a hand to his eyes and peeked through his fingers at her, taking in the graceful line of her neck and the swell of her breasts. "You sure?" he said, his voice still hopeful.

Sheena glanced at him and wrinkled her nose up in frustration, shoving at him again. He huffed and shoved her back, forgetting that she was balancing on the railing. With an ear-ringing shriek, Sheena toppled off the railing.

"Sheena!" Zelos cried, his face draining of colour as he leant right over the railing. There was a whoosh of air over his head, and then a solid push in his back sent him catapulting head-first into the water with a yell. He surfaced, finding the river just shallow enough for him to touch the bed, spitting out water and his face still pale as he stared up at Sheena, who was clutching her stomach and laughing so hard that tears rolled down her face.

"How... what?!" he spluttered, brushing his plastered wet hair from his face.

Sheena managed to stop laughing long enough to gasp out, "You didn't really think you could push a ninja into a river, did you?" She wiped at her eyes and rested her arms on the railing again, still grinning widely. Zelos frowned and ducked slightly. He started blowing bubbles and looking grumpy while Sheena burst out laughing again, her laughter echoing in the silent street.

* * *

**A/N: **Ta da, Chapter Four. I'm happier with the first half of this chapter than the second half, but nyeh. Hope you enjoyed it :)

Oh, and **Disclaimer: **Obviously the script you recognised came from Tales of Symphonia, which I do not claim to own or anything.


	5. Preparing Night

**Seven Nights**

* * *

**Preparing Night**

* * *

Sheena couldn't sleep.

The air in the forest was alive, thrumming with activity and anticipation. No matter how hard she tried to doze off, her eyes would inevitably drift open to stare up at the canopy of leaves punctuated by pockets of starlight.

She felt like she was charged full of energy, which in itself was unusual – the group had just spent a frustrating and tiring day trying to navigate the Ymir Forest, only to realise they needed to backtrack and search for an obscure fruit. By the time the young elven boy had scampered off in joy, clutching his precious fruit, it had been early evening. Sheena had been looking forward to sleeping in a lovely soft bed at the Inn in Heimdall, only to have her dreams of a comfortable night's sleep shattered when the guards refused Genis and Raine entry to the village. Lloyd, loyal to the bitter end, had said he didn't want to leave the two half-elves alone overnight, so the whole group had ended up camping out at the edge of the village.

Zelos managed to sum up the feelings of everyone quite poignantly as they all settled down after setting up camp: "This officially sucks."

And now it was the middle of the night, and she had a tree root digging into her ass.

With a huff she threw back her covers, desperate to do something, _anything,_ before she went completely insane.

She absently felt in her pocket, and felt her breath catch when she felt something missing. A crushing sense of wretchedness engulfed her when she remembered what was missing.

Corrine's bell, her only memento of her dearest friend, sacrificed to save her companion, traded for the information that could save Colette from her illness.

Guilt etched away at her heart with each passing moment, and she knew that she would have to fight Kuchinawa soon to reclaim her precious possession before her heart shattered completely.

"Bad dreams, hunny?"

Sheena rolled her eyes and looked across the fire at the lounging swordsman. His hair was blazing brighter than the flames.

"Yeah. I dreamt of you in a Speedo."

His grin lit up, bright white in the darkness. "Oh Sheena, if you're gonna lie you should at least come up with something plausible. We all know that's your favourite dream."

"Ugh, you're such an asshole," she muttered as she stood up. She stretched, and he watched her movements through half-lidded eyes.

Struck with a sudden idea, Sheena snatched up her cards and stalked off into the forest, causing Zelos to jump to his feet in confusion and call after her, "Hey, where're you going?"

"Practicing," was her flippant reply as she disappeared between the trees.

"What? You can't be serious!" Zelos cast a quick look around his slumbering companions. Okay, so he was meant to be the night-watch, it wasn't like anything was gonna happen in such a remote place. With a quiet groan of frustration, he grabbed his sword and took off after her, dodging low branches and jumping over rocks, roots and streams. "Sheena... Sheena!" he hissed, casting about for her distinctive purple robes.

A second later he was sent flying backwards clutching his chest, having been slapped with one of her cards. Zelos managed to right himself at the last minute and clung to the nearest tree, staring at the ninja in disbelief. "What the hell?!" he wheezed, rubbing at his bruised chest.

Sheena's face was set and cold, and she leapt forward, raising her cards again. Zelos dove to the side, a forceful gust of wind behind him sending loose leaves flying, indicating he had narrowly missed a Cyclone Seal.

She came at him again, using all of her attacks, and he fought to dodge them all. Unfortunately, he couldn't evade them forever. He tripped over a tree root and was hit squarely by a forceful Pyre Seal.

Zelos crashed into a tree trunk with a muffled grunt of pain, and when he lifted his eyes they glinted with ice. She stood before him, her chin raised tauntingly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he grunted, wiping away a drop of bright blood from his split lip. He stared at the crimson liquid in disbelief.

"Fight me," she murmured, her cards still raised.

"What?"

"I said fight me. C'mon, give me your best shot."

"Did I fall asleep on watch? Is this some sort of funky dream?"

Her eyes darkened and her full lips flattened into a thin line. "Only if you normally get beaten up in your dreams," she ground out, twisting on the ball of her foot and kicking him hard in the side. Zelos slammed to the ground with a yell, and he immediately rolled to the side when she aimed another kick at him.

"Sheena, stop this!" he yelled, jumping to his feet. His hand itched for his sword, but he stilled it; he wouldn't fight her. Not like this.

"Damn it, just fight!" Sheena went for him again, her cards turning into white blurs as they whipped through the crackling air. He stumbled backwards and automatically threw out his hand in defence, sending a powerful Wind Blade at his assailant. She was blown back, but flipped neatly in mid-air. Her eyes sparkled as she stood breathing slightly heavier. "Looks like you've got some fight in you after all, Pretty Boy."

"What is _with_ you tonight?" he snapped, clenching his fists tightly to restrain himself.

The sparkle died from her eyes as she stepped towards him. "I need to you fight me. Not with your sword, or your magic. Get your daggers out and give me your best shot."

"Did you fall and bang your head or something? Is that why you're –"

"Get your damn daggers out and fight," she snapped, jumping forward again. He flipped backwards, almost crashing into a tree to get out of the way of her attack, and ripped his daggers from their sheaths. He twirled them in his long fingers, silver slicing the moonlight, and met her face on.

Back and forth they danced – dodging , flipping, striking, slashing, clashing – through the forests. Zelos lunged forwards suddenly, forcing Sheena to leap for the lowest branch of a nearby tree. She sent down another Pyre Seal, and he leapt up after her to avoid it.

Now they were chasing each other through the leafy boughs. Sheena leapt across to the next tree and he jumped after her, slamming one of his knives into the rough bark to get his balance back. He watched her swing through the trees, truly living up to her nickname of 'Acrobat'. Her movements were graceful and fluid, deathly yet strangely beautiful.

A card clipped his ear and he surged forward again, pushing the distractions from his head. She found herself having to work hard to combat his attacks, not having any time to parry or attack herself. His daggers were blurs, whistling through the air as he twirled them and sliced. Although much stronger with his double-edged sword, he'd been brought up to use all sorts of weapons, and always carried his twin daggers strapped to the sides of his boots.

Adrenaline pumping through their veins, fuelling the fire, the two of them fought, all reasoning disappearing into the tense forest air. Their grunts and cries echoed through the trees, spooking the animals. Faint echoes drifted as far as the elven village, where young children huddled in their beds and trembled – trembled at the sounds of warring spirits.

Zelos found himself fighting for balance on the edge of a tree branch, Sheena warily closing in on him. The fire of battle had sparked in her eyes, and she drew to a sudden halt. "Why are you holding back?" she cried out, snapping her cards together. Her petite frame hummed and sang with adrenaline and energy as she stared up at his surprised face.

"What? I'm not –"

"You're holding back on me! Why, Zelos?!"

"What are you talking about? Why are we even doing this?"

She stamped her foot and took another step closer. The branch creaked and groaned as if in pain, but they ignored the ancient tree's protest. "It's like when we fight as a group!" she snapped. "You're always holding me back, stopping me from fighting!"

Zelos was panting heavily, his heartbeat echoing in his ears. His blood felt like trails of fire, spreading beneath his skin. "I'm trying to stop you from getting hurt!" he cried, and saw her face tighten in anger. "Just like I try to protect Raine and Colette and Presea! I try to protect all you girls!"

"I'm not some stupid... glass doll," she screamed, sparks flashing in her eyes. "Fight me properly, damn it!"

"I'm not going to try and hurt you," he said, his tone lowering as hers grew louder.

"Tough shit, I want you to!"

"Sheena, I'm not going to. Why are we even fighting?!" His voice was heavy and thunderous, and she felt annoyance flare in her stomach.

"Because I –"

A sharp crack like a gunshot filled the air as the branch snapped beneath their feet. Zelos managed to twist and grab another, grunting in pain as his arm muscles screamed in protest. He looked up, but could see no sign of Sheena. A jolt of panic sped through him as he looked around, and he eventually dropped to the earthy floor, stumbled slightly, and saw Sheena lying draped over the fallen branch, cursing and hissing under her breath.

"Sheena?" he breathed, hurrying over and helping her up. She shoved at him hard, causing him to crash to the floor under her weight. Her nails dug into the alabaster skin of his shoulders, but the pain barely registered as he stared up into her beautiful face, which was trembling with emotion.

"Damn you, Zelos," she whispered, slamming his shoulders into the dirt. He winced slightly but didn't break their eye contact. "Don't try to protect me."

"I don't want you to get hurt," he blurted out, searching her soft, doe eyes. He became acutely aware of their position, about how her straddling body brought them to such intimate contact, and he fought to keep his cool.

"If you don't let me fight, how am I meant to survive when you're not here?" Her words were so softly spoken he almost didn't hear her. She felt him stiffen beneath her, and flushed when she realised she was straddling him. She jumped to her feet, stumbling away from him, and turned to stalk away to clear her clouded head.

Long, impossibly strong fingers closed around her wrist and tugged her back. Zelos grasped her upper arms and shoved her into the nearest tree, standing nose to nose with her to stop her from escaping. "You're not going anywhere," he panted, his fingers curling into her clothes, "until you tell me what the hell that was all about."

Sheena tried to push him away, but he didn't even budge an inch. She finally slumped back against the tree and looked away, focusing on the pocket of starlight she could see through the trees. "I needed to... I..." She shook her head and met his bright blue eyes again. "I needed to fight you because I know I won't win against Kuchinawa," she whispered eventually.

His grip slackened slightly, but he shifted closer. Their bodies brushed, and he could almost feel the pounding of her heart. His own heart beat to the same rhythm. "What are you talking about?"

She let out a soft chuckle and shook her head. "I couldn't sleep. I was heading off to practice on my own, but... I don't know, you followed me and I figured that..."

Comprehension dawned on Zelos and he ran a hand through his red hair which was tangled and full of leaves. "It's because I know how to fight with daggers," he muttered. "You wanted to practice with me because Kuchinawa uses them."

Sheena dipped her head, and when she raised it her eyes were shadowed by her dark hair, stopping him from seeing the emotion they held. "Yes," she whispered, and licked her lips. He followed the movement of her tongue and his breath hitched slightly. "And also..." she paused, and he almost stopped breathing while she took a deep breath. "I-I needed to fight... to practice against someone that I care about," she said eventually. Zelos stilled as she rushed to continue, "Kuchinawa used to be like a brother to me. If... _When_ I fight him to get back Corrine's bell, I know it'll be difficult. Probably the most difficult fight of my life. How am I meant to fight and kill someone that I care for? So I thought that I could... that I could... practice by fighting you."

Her heart was pounding, almost about to burst from her chest, as red swept across her face. She felt Zelos' hands release her arms, sliding down to circle her wrists. His eyes – so very blue, so very intense – captured her gaze, held her hostage as he rubbed his thumb against the sensitive skin of her inner wrist. To her mortification her eyelids actually fluttered at the feeling, and she suddenly became very glad of the solid, coarse bark supporting her.

Zelos dipped his head, reducing their five-inch height difference to mere centimetres. She shivered when his breath coaxed goosebumps from her skin, and she couldn't help but press herself closer to him, almost an automatic reaction to the heat radiating from his body. "Zelos," she breathed, trying desperately to keep from sinking into his eyes, those oceans of darkened blue.

"It won't be easy," he whispered, running his thumb over her knuckles. He was almost trembling as the distinct scent of lavender surrounded him. Her eyes slid shut as she leaned closer. "But I know you can do it. You can beat him, and you can get your bell back. You're the toughest woman I've ever met; you don't go down without a fight. Even if I'm not there to try and protect you..."

He ducked his head again, their noses sliding against each other. Sheena licked her lips again, her mouth as dry as the Triet desert, and his eyes darkened further. "You're a fighter," he whispered, just barely brushing his lips against hers.

It wasn't a kiss, but at the feather-soft touch of his lips Sheena snapped abruptly out of her haze ad she jerked back, slamming into the rough and peeling bark.

They stayed like that, frozen in place for several seconds until Sheena shoved at his firm chest, pushing his surprised body backwards and giving her enough room to sprint away into the darkness of the forest.

Zelos watched her go, his lips still tingling and struggling to breathe.

* * *

**A/N: **Um, hey. Sorry for the wait, and for the length. Kinda balances out the last chapter, which was longer than normal. And, while I'm apologising, I guess I should say sorry about the cliff-hanger. Heh, couldn't resist.

This chapter kicked my ass, it simply would not come out. And then I haven't been at home much since I got my AS Level exam results last week.

ANYWAY, hope you enjoyed the chapter, next one is going to be brilliant I can just tell :D

Thanks for reading, and thank you for all the reviews for the last chapter, I was completely stunned by the response. You're all stars :)


	6. Snowy Night

**Seven Nights**

* * *

**Snowy Night**

* * *

Snow. Zelos hated the stuff. Not only was it cold and wet, but it also reminded him of a time he really wished he could forget.

"_You should never have been born..."_

Shaking the falling snow and bad memories from his head, Zelos hurried ahead of the group and towards the city of Flanoir while they were still fussing with their wing packs.

Sheena caught a flash of red hair in her peripheral vision and turned to see Zelos crunching through the snow as fast as he could, before disappearing through the city gates. "Zelos!" she screamed, but her voice didn't get very far before it was whipped away by the howling wind. She quickly grabbed the scarf that Regal offered to her and wound it around her neck. "Where's he going?" she shouted to the others, knowing that speaking in her normal voice wouldn't get her heard. She tugged her robes tighter around her and felt her ears quickly grow numb.

Lloyd shrugged and tugged on Colette's hand, helping her trudge through the snow. "I dunno, he just took off! We need to get out of this wind and get to the doctor!"

Sheena nodded and followed him, trying to stay in Regal's large footprints that left chasms in the snowdrifts. As they hurried ahead into the city, she replayed Zelos' escape in her mind. "What's got into him?" she murmured, her breath an icy cloud. He'd been acting rather strange ever since they'd gone to the Tower of Salvation. He'd taken to falling into brooding silence, muttering to himself when he thought no-one could hear him, or acting overly cheerful at the wrong times.

One of these occasions had taken place outside Altessa's home only an hour or so ago. They'd been stood outside waiting for Raine and Genis to emerge, and Zelos had been staring at the dusty ground unseeingly for quite some time.

"Can I really do this?" he had whispered finally, "Will it work?"

"Will what work?" asked Sheena in confusion, tilting her head as she regarded her companion.

He had almost jumped out of his skin, only to paste on an obviously fake grin and straighten up. "This," he said, and grabbed her ass. She'd stormed off, leaving Zelos with a scarlet handprint tattooed on one cheek.

Something was going on, she decided, as they fought their way through the snow and towards Flanoir.

And Sheena was determined to get to the bottom of it.

**xXx**

Zelos quickly ducked down a side-street, keeping his head down to avoid being recognised, and started to scale the wall near the majestic Cathedral standing sentinel over the frozen city. His toes and fingers quickly becoming numb, he dug them into cracks and crevices in the cold stone, pulling himself up until he could haul himself over the top. He slipped into an alleyway down the side of the Cathedral, and stood shivering in his thin velvet jacket as he peered into the darkness.

"You took your time."

A pair of dark, narrowed eyes caught the faint light from the street. Zelos could just make out the outline of the familiar tall, broad-shouldered figure, his shoulder-length black hair curling slightly in the damp air. The shadowy figure crossed his arms over his built chest and waited.

"Er, yeah. Sorry about that, Mevelian," Zelos said cheerfully, keeping his wide blue eyes fixed on a point just to the left of the Cruxis angel's ear.

"Are they in the city?"

"Yeah, they'll be here any minute."

"Good. Everything's going as planned then. I'll contact you again at midnight."

"Sure thing," Zelos replied half-heartedly. Mevelian's steely eyes narrowed into mere slits as he scrutinised the Chosen, who stood calmly before him. Then, with a short, sharp nod and a flash of light, he was gone.

Zelos continued to stare at the spot where the angel had just been for several more moments. He let out a hoarse groan and clutched at his hair, screwing up his eyes in frustration. "This has gotten _seriously_ out of hand," he muttered. He rubbed at his face roughly, before spinning on his heel and jogging down the steps to the middle level of the city. Below him and to the right, he could see Lloyd and the others conversing with that shifty-looking Abyssion guy. A distinctive purple-robed figure was looking about searchingly, and he ducked his head and kept away from the edge.

He slowed down and found refuge from the dying snowstorm under an awning. He ran his mind over his tangled and complicated plan again, trying to disentangle the threads and make it clearer.

"Aonis is that weird rock they had me ingest," he muttered, raking a hand through his damp hair. "Use that to make the ring of the pact..." No matter how many times he ran over the plan he had concocted many weeks ago, there were still just so many snags and things that could go horribly, horribly wrong.

What if they killed Colette before he got the Aonis? What if Kratos was lying, and wouldn't get him some? What if Pronyma caught him sneaking off? What if Lloyd never forgave him?

What if Sheena never trusted him again?

Zelos wasn't completely dense. He was well aware that the feelings he had for the tempestuous ninja were more intense, more overwhelming than anything that he had ever felt for another woman. Just being near her had his pulse spiking. A whiff of her lavender scent sent him reeling.

Since she had admitted in Heimdall Forest that she cared for him, and the barest touch of her lips, their relationship had shifted slightly. It had taken a few days of stilted, embarrassed silence, but he had made an effort to be less lewd, and she had made an effort to let some of her guard down and had begun to trust him. They tended to stay up talking most nights, volunteering to take the night watches together. He told her of his childhood, his pet peeves, and his notorious adventures among the streets of Meltokio. She told him of her unknown parents, her insecurities as the future heir of Mizuho, and her favourite things.

Sure, they still fought occasionally, but things were different. Better.

The idea of Sheena regretting placing her trust in him, never speaking to him again... it made him want to call the whole plan off.

"Can I really do this?" he whispered, staring up into the grey and white sky.

"Zelos!"

His head jerked up in surprise as he saw Lloyd and Sheena running towards him. He sighed and met them at the front of the doctor's house. "Lloyd, you finally made it," he said smoothly, flashing them a bright grin. "The doctor's just in here, we'd better get a move on."

Lloyd nodded and pushed past the queue of people stood coughing and sniffling, ignoring the cries of protest that sounded behind him. Zelos turned his eyes to Sheena, who stood staring up at him with a carefully blank look on her face. He dropped his grin and met her gaze head-on, while she carefully searched his eyes. They stayed like that until the rest of the group arrived, and she quickly wrenched her eyes away, hurrying after Lloyd.

Zelos watched her go with a sinking feeling that she had seen something she really shouldn't have.

**xXx**

Night fell with the snow outside the window, and Zelos kept close to the fire in his room in an attempt to chase away the chill that had invaded him. His mind was on over-drive, and his hair was tangled and messy from the number of times he had raked his hands through the crimson strands.

'_What the hell do I do?'_

He let out a quiet groan and pushed himself out of the seat he had been shifting about in for the last few hours, ever since Regal, Raine, Presea and Genis had flown back with the doctor to tend to Altessa. He had declined Lloyd and Colette's offer of going out to build snowmen that afternoon, instead choosing self-imposed solitary confinement as his conscience decided to return from the grave.

'_Damn it, I thought that thing was dead and buried...'_

He slammed a hand against the window, making it rattle and the beads of condensation shudder. He felt like he was splitting in two – one side wanted freedom; freedom from a title that had made his life meaningless, freedom from a fate he didn't want. It would be so easy to give in. The other side wanted to do what was right. What he knew he should do. But still Mithos' voice seemed to echo in the room, taunting him.

"_And as a reward for your efforts, I will release you from your fate as Chosen. The title will be passed to Seles, freeing you from all responsibilities to the Church. Is that not what you both desire?"_

**No**. He'd made his choice. He would do the only good deed he'd ever done in his wretched life and help Lloyd bring down that bastard. But first he had to talk to his friend, explain everything once and for all, and lift the leaden weight from his chest. He checked the clock and saw it was nearly midnight. Frowning, he remembered he had to meet with Mevelian soon.

He had enough time.

Feeling the first stages of relief already, Zelos swung on his heavier winter coat, the black wool making his hair appear even more vibrant. He made his way out of his room and along the corridor, already running through what he wanted to say in his head. He sighed; it might take a while.

When he reached Lloyd's door he stopped, compulsively clenching and unclenching his hands nervously. Seizing all the courage he held in his body, Zelos rapped smartly on the heavy wood and waited.

And waited.

Frowning, he knocked again. When he still received no reply, he cautiously twisted the handle and stuck his head into the room. The flickering fire was the only thing in the room showing signs of life, and he withdrew his head in defeat.

"He still not back?"

Zelos banged his head against the doorframe when he whipped around to face the voice, and he swore loudly as he clutched at his temple. Small pale fingers hesitantly joined his own in concern, and he looked over to see Sheena smiling up at him apologetically, wrapped in a thick jacket with a furry collar. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she said, retracting her hand.

He shook his head and rubbed it ruefully. "S'ok. Mostly hollow anyway."

Her smile seemed to light up the dark hallway, and he almost missed what she said next as he was so entranced by it. "I always suspected as such," she teased. She gestured to the door and said, "I knocked a few minutes ago, but I guess he's out somewhere. Probably with Colette." A pause and then, "Fancy going outside? It's really pretty."

He nodded and they set off down the corridor together, a comfortable silence falling between them. Zelos opened the door to the balcony, and they stepped out into the frigid, misty air. "Why were you looking for Lloyd?" he asked, but no sooner had he asked the question than he wished he hadn't, for a small blush shone through her already chill-pinked cheeks.

"N-Nothing really. I wanted to talk to him." She slanted her dark eyes up to his face. "Why, what were you doing?"

Shrugging, he leaned against one of the pillars supporting the balcony for the floor above. "Needed to tell him something, but it can wait," he lied smoothly. Sheena accepted the lie and turned away, stepping out from under the cover of the balcony above to the very edge. Snow fluttered and settled in her dark hair, the contrast stark and beautiful.

"Hey, come look," she whispered, glancing over her shoulder at where he stood, far from the reach of the snow.

"It better be good," he grumbled, unwillingly stepping out into the snowfall. He followed her pointing finger to two familiar figures stood on the semi-circular terrace overlooking the city. Colette's brilliant blonde hair was unmistakeable, as was Lloyd's scarlet outfit. As they watched, Colette turned to the boy beside her and hesitantly sidled closer. His arm reached out to close around her waist, and she laid her head against his shoulder as he held her.

Sheena's sigh wasn't audible, but he saw the cloud it created in the frozen air. "Jealous?" he asked faux casually.

She flushed and looked away, tracing patterns in the snow icing the balustrade. "N-No." Zelos felt his heart plummet into his boots and his windpipe constrict a little. "Well... a little," she whispered, and the choking sensation intensified. She whipped her head up to meet Zelos' bright eyes, her own eyes wide. "Not of Colette," she blurted, and his brow furrowed slightly in confusion. She sighed again and returned to watching the oblivious teens. "Just of what they have," she murmured.

She turned back to Zelos and smiled slightly. "I'm glad I didn't kill Colette," she admitted. "After all this time, I know that if I had... I wouldn't have just killed her. I would have killed him too." Zelos' eyes never strayed from her dark gaze, and he wasn't even aware of shifting closer to her.

But she noticed. She definitely noticed.

"They're so in love and they don't even know it," she said, smiling again. "I think it's beautiful that after everything that's happened... everything they've been through... they've still found each other." She laughed lightly and blushed again. Her cheeks were now a bright, rosy colour, and it only made her eyes shine even more.

"Who would have guessed that the tomboy would be such a romantic?" he said, his voice husky from the cold and the desire that was seeping into him.

Sheena rolled her eyes and looked away. "Tell anyone and I'll be forced to kill you."

He smirked lightly and stepped closer still, their bodies brushing. "I'll take it to the grave." He paused for a few moments, just watching her profile. Her head was slightly tilted up, and her full lips were pulled into a wide smile as she watched the snow continue to fall. An idea sprung into his head, and he carefully slipped an arm around her tiny waist, feeling the full curves of her hips just below. She jumped and tried to take a step away, but he tightened his grip.

"Zelos, w-what are you doing?" She pushed at his chest in vain, trying to calm her rocketing pulse.

"Giving you your own romantic moment," he murmured, his eyes roaming over the soft lines of her face. Her mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find words, and he smiled crookedly down at her.

A snowflake landed on her nose, and he ducked down to kiss it away, his thin pink lips barely brushing her skin. When he lifted his head, he saw her eyes had fallen closed and she wobbled faintly. A full-blown smirk emerged on his face as her eyes slowly opened.

"You're such an idiot," she breathed, fisting his coat in her hands in an attempt to steady herself.

He chuckled lowly and leant down again, feeling her hot, shallow breaths on his cheek. "I'm an idiot for not doing this sooner," he whispered, and before she could reply he had tipped his head forward and caught those full lips in a soft kiss. They stilled there for a second, waiting. Everything hung in the balance, the potential for it all to be smashed to pieces – until he felt her lips move, kissing him again, still softly.

His lips moved over hers slowly, gently pulling at them and garnering a response as she eventually relaxed. Only then did he pull her closer and deepen the kiss, their lips lingering longer, their hot breaths colliding. He felt her mouth open slightly and he traced her plump lower lip with his tongue, before pressing both of his lips against it and drawing back slightly.

"Zelos," she whispered airily, and the sound of his name uttered with such desire sent him over the edge. He pulled her closer, cupping the back of her neck and angling her jaw to get better access to her mouth. A low, breathy groan escaped his throat when their tongues met shyly, and she pushed herself harder against him, wanting more, needing more.

He spun them round and backed her into a pillar. The feeling of the cold pillar against her back and Zelos' hot body pushing against hers sent sparks through her, and Sheena pulled away from him just long enough to push her lips against his cheek and to his ear, where she nipped at the lobe and brushed a kiss to the sensitive skin adjacent.

A mixture of heady guilt and pleasure ripped through him at her shy, enticing actions. He pulled himself away slightly, breathing heavily, but couldn't seem to release his grip on her waist. "Sheena," he murmured, his eyes roaming her flushed face, "Sheena, I-I have to tell you something. I –"

She pressed her lips and her hips against him, driving all logic and decency from his mind once more. "Not yet," she whispered against his lips, her hands tangling in his fiery hair. "Just... just kiss me. Please."

He opened his mouth to confess, to say something, anything, but her nimble hands pulled his head down to meet her lips. Though soft and slow, the opposite of their last heated kiss, it still held the same desire, the same passion. Zelos' hands slid lower until they were resting on her shapely hips, drawing patterns in the fabric there. Sheena's lips curved into a smile beneath his, and soon they were grinning at each other through the kiss.

The resounding toll of the Cathedral's bell tower echoed through the snowy city, breaking apart the entwined couple. Sheena was breathing heavily, inhaling the delicious, heady scent of his body as she pressed her face against his neck. Zelos held her in a close embrace, conflicting emotions dancing across his face.

"I need to go," he murmured, drawing back from her. Her confusion was evident as she reached for him.

"Why?"

"I need to... to check on something. And you need your beauty sleep."

"What? Zelos, what's going on?"

"Nothing."

She stepped closer, the familiar fire bursting into life within her. "Don't lie to me. You've been acting weird for weeks. What's wrong?"

He shook his head and edged away, his heart slowly but surely losing the warmth she had injected into it from their kisses. "Nothing. I'm fine. It'll all make sense soon."

Sheena's eyes dulled slightly, and she bit her kiss-swollen lips. "Is it that hard for you to trust me like I trust you?"

Her quiet admission made Zelos' eyes fall shut and his heart shatter. "I'm sorry. It'll make sense soon," was all he whispered, before sweeping from the balcony and down the stairs. He fought to restrain his emotions, fighting with all the will he had in his body, until his face was carefully blank and cold.

He slipped out of the hotel and made his way to the Cathedral, passing through the shadows, invisible to the oblivious Lloyd and Colette still embracing on the terrace. Ducking down the alleyway once more, Zelos straightened up and met the dark, watchful eyes that pierced the darkness.

"Hello, Mevelian."

* * *

**A/N: **Hello! I managed to make my deadline of September 1st, just! It would have been up last night, but our internet died, and the BT man just left after fixing it for us :) Can't believe I'm back at school tomorrow, yikes! So the last chapter might be a bit delayed while I try and sort myself out.

Moving on - I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! This is actually the chapter that inspired the whole Seven Nights idea! It was originally a one-shot that I discarded. Only one chapter left folks! It's been a great ride, thanks for all your reviews and support :)


	7. Final Night

**Seven Nights**

* * *

**Final Night**

* * *

'I'll tell you a secret. Something they don't teach you in your temple. The Gods envy us. They envy us because we're mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again.' – Achilles, Troy.

--

It felt like the world was holding its breath. The stars didn't dare whisper to one another across the cosmos. The moon was hanging still and silent, a guardian over the sleeping world.

They were waiting. Waiting for the dawn. For the dawn that would speak of either damnation or salvation.

The hidden Elven village was devoid of life – even the stream running through the houses had quietened its babbling to a murmur.

She barely rustled the long grass, her footfalls sure and soft. Beneath the trees bending and swaying in the warm breeze, their golden-green leaves dancing above her head, Sheena strode ahead. Her fingers slid through the wavering tips of grass, a soft caress of nature.

Damnation or salvation. Either way, the fates of herself and her friends would be decided.

Lying in bed, she had felt an overwhelming urge to get up, to walk out, and embrace the warm, silent night. To try and embed the memory of the sweet smell of grass, the feeling of the wind ruffling her hair, the sounds of nature surrounding her into her memory, to lock them away in her heart. She might never have this chance to appreciate her mortality again, and it was this thought that had chased her from her bed and out into the forest.

When was the last time she had truly appreciated this? Appreciated the sights and sounds and smells around her. Appreciated the steady rhythm of her heart, sustaining her with every soft thump. Sheena took a deep breath, feeling her lungs fill with precious oxygen, and tilted her head back to the heavens. The ethereal luminescence bathed her face in a pearly glow.

He had never seen her look more beautiful.

Zelos stood in the shadows of the forest watching her. She stood in a pocket of starlight, her eyes closed and her dark lashes dusting shadows across her cheekbones. He took in her curvaceous figure, her violet-tinted hair, her full pink lips, and felt his heart react to every aspect of her, pushing harder against his ribs in a desperate attempt to call to her.

"What do you want, Zelos?"

Her murmur was softer than the wind, and her brown eyes met his unflinchingly, yet carefully veiled. He took an almost automatic step towards her, right into the patch of starlight. She watched his hair flare into life, looking almost bright enough to burn her.

Burn her like he'd burned her before. She'd learnt her lesson.

"You weren't in your room."

"No." She turned away, tilting her head up to the heavens once more.

He frowned slightly at her curt reply. He was sick of her distance, sick of her avoidance, and sick of her brusque answers. "You know I didn't mean it," he whispered.

She sighed and opened her eyes before swinging her gaze back to the man at her side. "Didn't mean what?"

He reached out with one pale hand and wrapped long, strong fingers around her wrist. She immediately pulled away, and the look on his face almost made her feel guilty.

Almost.

"I knew you'd be hurt," he murmured, taking another step forward until her shoulder was brushing against his chest with every breath they took. "But you have to know that I didn't mean to –"

"Didn't mean to make me regret placing even an ounce of trust in you?" she hissed, venom present in every word. She resolutely kept her eyes staring straight ahead.

He flinched and bowed his head slightly. Her arm twitched when a stray lock of his hair grazed her bare skin, and she shivered. "I'm sorry." His words were hot on her ear, and she felt that heat seep straight into her veins, like fire igniting trails of oil.

"I know you are," she whispered. She turned her head until they were cheek to cheek, his skin smooth and cool, marble, against hers. "I know you're sorry, and I know you did it for a good reason." She drew back just far enough to catch a glimpse of that infamous blue, before continuing in an airy whisper, "But sorry doesn't replace trust."

"Then what does?" he asked immediately, his eyes capturing hers with their intensity.

A humourless laugh slipped past her lips as they quirked into a sad smile. "It's not that easy."

Another warm breeze rushed through them, stirring the tops of the grass and the tips of their hair. The leaves rustled and whispered above them, gossiping about the torn couple below.

Zelos' throat felt dry and tight, fear clenching it in a firm grip. He wet his lips and bent his head closer, searching her dark eyes for any sign of her feelings.

All he found was hurt.

"Do you really want to face tomorrow," he said hoarsely, breathing hard, "hating my guts, but knowing that you're just being stubborn and denying yourself?"

She sucked in a sharp breath and pushed him away roughly. "How _dare_ you? Don't pretend to know how I feel!"

"Then tell me!" He ignored the warning flashing in her eyes and approached her again, only to be shoved back another step. "Tell me, so I can understand and make it right!"

"Zelos, stop it!"

"Just tell me!"

"I said _stop_ –"

His blue eyes were dark now, thunder rumbling as a storm brewed. "Are you scared? Is that it? Or do you hate the fact that you could care for someone like me?"

"You betrayed me, Zelos!" she suddenly screamed, her face rippling with emotion. "I thought you'd left us to die! And then you had to be a heroic bastard and _save me_..." She struggled to draw breath as anger clouded her mind. "And now I-I feel like I don't know you! You're not who I thought you were, a-and... and..."

"Sheena, I –"

"_No!_ Damn it Zelos, I'm not supposed to care about you!" Tears began to slide down her cheeks, tears of anger and guilt and sadness that spilled over as her emotional tempest raged around her. "I'm not supposed to care when you do something nice for me. I'm not supposed to care when I remember everything that's happened between us, all the days and nights we've spent together. I'm not supposed to care that you tore my heart a little that day. I should hate you. I wish I _could_ hate you."

Silence, save for the gossiping trees, engulfed them. Sheena's body heaved with every turbulent breath she took, and she desperately tried to wipe away her tears and restrain her emotions once more. Zelos was breathing hard, his face drawn and pale after her torrent of words.

The realisation struck him with the force of a tidal wave, washing over him, infiltrating every cell in his body, filling him up until he was brimming with the overwhelming emotion. Words would never do it justice, and so he took three fast strides towards her, grabbed her arm and stole her breath in a hot kiss.

She melted against him for a second, her senses overwhelmed with him. The feel of his hand tangled in her hair, the woody, masculine scent of his body, the taste of his feverish mouth. It was too much.

She ripped away from him when her wits finally reassembled, and slapped him hard across the cheek, his head snapping to the right with the force.

Her hand throbbed and stung, much like her heart.

He lifted his eyes, those captivating eyes, and met her wavering gaze. Sheena felt her fingertips, her knees, her heart, all trembling and shuddering as warring emotions and thoughts and feelings clashed within her body.

"_Do you really want to face tomorrow hating my guts, but knowing that you're just being stubborn and denying yourself?"_

**No**.

With only the smallest hesitation, Sheena threw herself at Zelos, lifted herself as high as she could and caught his lips again. His arms immediately tightened around her and they kissed for all the times they had not, for all the times they had wanted to. Her shaky knees must have finally given out, for a second later they found themselves lying amongst the sweet-smelling grass, still kissing desperately.

Zelos finally drew back slightly, breathing hard, and stared down at the goddess in his arms. Her hair was tousled, her cheeks flushed and her lips pink and slightly swollen. She hadn't yet managed to open her eyes, and her breathing was just as unsteady as his own he noted with satisfaction. The swell of emotion crashed over him again, and he felt his lips move without his control.

"I love you."

Sheena stopped mid-breath, her eyes popping open reflexively. Zelos was hovering over her, one hand resting on the curve of her waist and the other propping him up, his eyes wide with shock at his own admission. But as she let out a shaky breath she saw the shock start to melt away, and happiness filled his eyes, so bright they shone like the stars above.

"I love you," he whispered again, almost in awe. His fingers reverently traced the curve of her cheek, the swell off her tremulous lower lip, before sweeping away a strand of violet-tinted hair. "I can't believe it. I love you."

Despite her astonishment, she couldn't help the tiny smile that curled the corners of her mouth. "Trust me, no-one's more shocked than I am," she gasped, chest heaving.

_Love._ Was it even possible? Or did he say that to every fling that passed his way?

He felt her stiffen slightly beneath him and searched her face for a hint of what was wrong; all he could detect was the slight clenching of her jaw, and the way she cast her eyes down. Doubt stole over him, leaving a cold trail of terror up his spine.

_What if she didn't feel the same way?_

"I know it's crazy," he blurted, causing her eyes to snap back to his, the brown darker than ever. "It's crazy and you must think this is some kind of joke, but Sheena..." She couldn't contain the shiver at the sound of her name coming from his lips. "I do. I do, and I can't explain it, it's just there and I _know_. I just know that I love you. I've never said those words before in my life, and I never expected to, but there you go. I guess the possible destruction of the world does crazy things to your head." His breathing was laboured at the end of his babbling, his throat gripped by fear and anticipation.

Sheena couldn't help the chuckle that escaped at the end of his tirade. "Damned idiot," she whispered. She weaved a hand into his flaming hair and pulled his head down so she could kiss him. As their lips brushed softly, she felt the storm within her calm, her heart filling with the same emotion she could see shining though his eyes. "I love you," she breathed against his lips.

He drew away a few centimetres, his eyes tracing her face as she let him see all the love she held for him, until a crooked grin lifted his thin lips. "Oh good," he said, chuckling hoarsely. "That could have been embarrassing otherwise." A peal of laughter echoed around the clearing until he ducked down and met her grinning lips once more.

**xXx**

"What d'you think will happen tomorrow?" Sheena whispered some time later, as she sat between Zelos' legs, her back resting against his chest. She felt his strong arms tighten around her waist and his exhale brush against the back of her neck as he contemplated her question.

"I'm not sure," he admitted eventually, rubbing his thumb against the silky skin of her hand. "Lloyd'll fight Kratos. If he loses, everything'll go to pot, and we'll have wasted months of our lives on a hopeless crusade."

Sheena glanced over her shoulder at him and raised an eyebrow. "Wow, Zelos, you're certainly optimistic," she drawled.

He elbowed her lightly and laughed as she elbowed him back, although much harder. "_Or_, Lloyd will win, in which case you strut your sexy Summoner stuff – ouch! – and hey presto, we have Origin on our side."

She sighed and turned back to look up at the pale grey sky through the gap in the trees. "He has to win."

"He will."

"How can you be so sure?"

Zelos brushed a kiss against her ear and tightened his arms around her again, pulling her closer. "Because he has something to fight for. Kratos only has himself to worry about. Besides, after fighting Yggdrasill he'll be able to kick Kratos' ass no problem. It'll be good for them both."

"I guess," she murmured, resting her head against his shoulder. "They need to work things out, and if fighting to the death is the only way to do it then... I guess that's how it has to be." A couple of minutes passed in silence as they pondered the approaching day that raced closer with every passing second.

"Hey Zelos?"

"Yeah?"

"What then? What do we do when Lloyd wins?"

"We save the world, babe."

"Easier said than done."

"I know. But someone has to give it a shot."

Sheena grinned and pressed a kiss to his smirking lips, just as the first rays of the deciding dawn stole over the horizon.

* * *

**A/N: **Wow. There it is, I guess. The ending isn't exactly what I planned, but I couldn't make myself add anymore. It just seems... right? I'm not sure. I'll probably end up re-doing this chapter.

ANYWAY, I would just like to thank all my readers, whether you reviewed or not. Your support has seriously encouraged me, and stopped this from becoming another one for the never-to-be-finished file, so **THANK YOU**!

Don't expect anything new anytime soon, I could barely get this out. Maybe at Christmas. Who knows :) Ciao for now m'dears!


End file.
